Last week I finished what I called my outdoor “Winter Survival Prep” cleanup at my house — I raked the leaves, put the grill away, wound up the hose, and basically prepped the outside of the house for the winter months. Even with some unseasonably warm weather lately, I can feel winter coming — Michiganders tend to be very sensitive about winter’s approach, and you’ll never hear a state’s residents complain more about it — and I’m already feeling that bearish desire to hunker down in my cave and wait it out until spring.

No matter what the weather will be like for me or wherever you live, one thing is for certain: It’s going to be a cold, desolate few months in terms of new MMOs. In fact, major MMO releases this year have already trickled to a complete stop (Vindictus and LEGO Universe are the last semi-big hurrahs of 2010) and there isn’t even the hint of big-name release dates until spring 2011 at the earliest.

It doesn’t mean that studios have given up on MMOs, of course; on the contrary, there are just craptons of MMOs in development, many of which we should be seeing next year. But we have definitely hit an ultra-quiet lull in terms of new titles, and that can create a cabin fever effect on gamers who wouldn’t mind tasting something new now and then — or at least having the option. I’m starting to see this sentiment pop up across the blogosphere as people look at this winter, shrug, and say, “Well, I guess we’re in for more of the same for a good long while to come!”

I would’ve loved to have seen at least one of my anticipated titles released for the holiday season, but thems the breaks. Instead, I’m pacing myself with a double-tour-of-duty of LOTRO and Guild Wars, which is, to be honest, more than enough gaming material for the duration of the season. However, it’s not just about the amount of content, but variety too — I like sampling newness now and then, and I find it helps keep my interest in my mainstays without endangering them with burnout.

So with that in mind, here are a few suggestions I’ll throw out if you’re looking at this winter and feeling a MMOalaise coming on:

1. Head back to WoW for Cataclysm — don’t worry, I won’t mock you.

I wouldn’t put it past Blizzard for planning it thus, but Cataclysm is really coming out at a perfect time. It’s not just that the WoW crowd is restless and needs something fresh, but there’s virtually no new competition. Not to mention that it’ll land right at the beginning of the holiday season.

So, yeah, if it’s what you crave, then Cataclysm should at least provide a couple months of — if not new, then newly recycled — content. Head on back, level up a new character to see all the changes to the world, and then see what there is to see come this spring.

2. Take advantage of the F2P insanity going on.

If nothing else, MMOs in 2010 became defined by just how much they offered for no money down. Right now, there are just buttloads of free, freemium and F2P hybrids out there that you can sample guilt-free:

If you had the mind to do so, you could probably start right now and experience a different MMO every week for free for the duration of winter and not have to worry about spending anything. Just a whole lot of buffet nom-nomming.

3. Take a different path in your main game

I’m an achievement-type player, so I usually play toward whatever achievement I wish to accomplish. Even if you’ve been in your game for a long time, the stretch of winter before us may be a great opportunity to do something you’ve never done before by setting a goal — doing crafting, hitting the level cap, trying all of the classes, going for a big reward.

4. Roll the dice and land in a beta

Some people, like myself, may be allergic to betas these days, but boredom and desperation can whittle that down. New MMOs may not be coming out soon, but there are a lot of betas for them, and if you cover the field, I bet you can at least get into one or two of them.

Pro tip: follow major MMO news sites (like, um, the one I work for? Massively Hammerotaku Gamer-something?) and MMO company twitter feeds for on-the-spur-of-the-moment contests for beta codes.

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6 thoughts on “The Long, Dark Winter of 2010-11”

j1000November 12, 2010 / 12:50 pm

Don’t forget that DCUO beta is guaranteed by 11/30 for preorders who submit proof-of-purchase before 11/15.

TipaNovember 12, 2010 / 1:11 pm

Have you noticed the trend that assumes people will play any new MMO no more than a month or two? In an earlier age, starting a new MMO was a commitment to at least 4-6 months of studious play. Now, meh, if it lasts a month, it was a good’un, now what’s next?

Kinda makes the whole concept of grinding months to an end game where the real game begins more or less a relic of that same distant past, now, doesn’t it?

DrilNovember 12, 2010 / 2:08 pm

I don’t think Blizzard planned the release date at all. Other people planned around them.

A lot will be going back for Cata. I won’t (that’s another story for another time) but any new MMO wouldn’t fair well going before or at the same time as Cata. All of the new MMOs, assuming a spring 2011 release, are going at just the right time to catch the hardcore WoW players who’ll have done everything and will be looking for something new.

DbladeNovember 12, 2010 / 5:55 pm

It’s best just to take a break altogether and refresh yourself. Play less MMOs altogether, and catch up on other things. I’m catching up on my backload of console games, reading more, and watching more movies until something catches my eye. I’d rather do that than make do with a lot of subpar releases and spoiling future ones through beta.